How to Train a Guard Dog

September 4, 2007

By:Cuteness Team

How to Train a Guard Dog. If you want to train your puppy to be a guard dog, it is best to get help from professional dog training people. However, if you decide to do it alone, follow these steps to ensure your dog is properly trained.

Socialize your puppy. Familiarize him with the environment. Get him used to traffic, people and other animals. Teach him to remain indifferent to other animals. This means do not allow him to chase after cats or pursue a female dog in heat.

Teach basic obedience. Demand the dog's attention at the start of every training session. Teach the dog verbal commands; such as come, sit and stay. Teach these same commands using hand signals. You should also teach your dog automatic commands, such as to always sit when they come to you.

Encourage your dog to bark when someone approaches the house. Most dogs will do this automatically unless you teach them not to. When someone approaches the house and your dog barks, tell her she is a good girl and that she can stop now because you are here and the person is a friend. If the person is not a friend, allow the dog to continue barking and praise her for her response. It is important to train the dog to stop barking only when given the command to do so.

Train your dog not to run after the intruder once they leave your property. To do this, you will have to make sure that the dog knows where your property line ends. Walk the dog around the perimeter of the property until she understand the boundaries.

Instruct the dog to attack clothing not exposed flesh. You can do this by pulling your hand into your sleeve and telling the dog to "get it." Don't use words such as "kill" or "sic." When you're done, tell the dog to "drop it." Remove the dog's mouth from your arm if he does not release and expose your hand from your sleeve.

Identify the areas on an intruders body that your dog should bite. You want the dog to bite an extremity, preferably a leg and then hold onto the person until help arrives. In the last step, your dog should have learned the command to drop or release. A good guard dog will not release the intruder until either its owner or a policeman gives them the command to do so.